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Most parents in the U.S. provide some sort of financial support to their adult children, multiple surveys have found. But often, financial aid goes the other way. A 2015 survey by TD Ameritrade found 13% of American adults provided financial support to a parent. Millennials were far more likely than older generations to report they were helping their folks. Of people born between 1981 and 1996, 19% helped support their parents, compared with 13% of

Timing is everything when it comes to saving for the holidays. The longer you have to build up cash reserves, plan your budget and buy gifts at the right price, the better you can cover these seasonal costs without going into debt. Avoiding debt around the holidays can save you from a spending hangover in the new year: Shoppers who used credit cards to fund the holidays in 2018 anticipated it would take them over

Pay a credit card a month late, and you can count on it hurting your credit score. But there are some murkier areas you may wonder about: What happens if I marry someone whose credit is a lot worse than mine? Could my library fine from five years ago keep me from getting approved for a car loan? Does getting turned down for credit hurt my score? We asked experts at the two biggest credit

Those ubiquitous checklists of “dorm room essentials” for college freshmen are filled with items that will be ditched by the end of first semester. Some parents “go to the store and grab a list like they did when their kids were in elementary and high school and just go straight down the list,” says Lisa Heffernan, mother of three sons and a college-shopping veteran. Or they buy things they only wish their students will use

It might seem like you’ve been saving for back to school since you packed your children’s backpacks last fall. But after replacing worn-out erasers, outgrown clothes and an outdated laptop, you may still feel the financial pinch. And then there are items for which you didn’t budget. Maybe it’s a budding interest in a travel sport, a fundraiser, or birthday cupcakes. “Parents think they’re going to get a bonus because day care is gone,” says

The summer before your freshman year in college means choosing classes, checking out your future roommate’s Instagram and figuring out how you’re going to pay the bills. Chances are you will need a loan: 2 out of 3 students have debt when they leave school, according to 2017 graduate data from the Institute for College Access and Success. But consider a loan after you’ve accepted grants, scholarships and work-study. You can get these by submitting

Incremental steps will get you closer to a healthier financial plan. Many of us may think waiting ‘til January 1 to implement financial change is the way to go, but trying to tackle multiple goals at once may just be too much. It makes much more sense to slowly and steadily tackle your financial objectives – so why not start now? Start Small Changing habits may not come as easily as you think, especially if

Congrats on saving up for that down payment! And hats off for committing to mortgage payments, homeowners insurance and property taxes. Now for your reward: home sweet, sparsely furnished home. Furniture shopping may be the last thing you want to do, but it may be necessary if you moved into a bigger space or parted with unwanted goods in that process. Avoid overspending with these strategies. Stick to cash Earmarking savings for furniture can help

The tallest hurdle to buying your first home will be saving for the down payment. To avoid having to purchase private mortgage insurance, you’ll likely need to put down at least 20% of the purchase price, which will probably mean tens of thousands of dollars. As a young adult, saving this much money may seem impossible — like climbing a mountain. When you climb a mountain, it looks huge from afar. But if you take

As the summer season approaches, many homeowners get the “itch” to kick off home improvement projects. Before you pick paint colors and start tearing out flooring, perhaps you should take into consideration which home improvement projects offer the best resale value to ensure your investment will yield you the most money in the long run. Many home improvement projects are done for the benefit of the homeowner, but always keeping resale value in the back